An incandescent bulb typically consists of a glass enclosure containing a tungsten filament. An electric current passes through the filament, heating it to a temperature that produces light. ... Small wires embedded in the stem support the filament and/or its lead wires.

How does an incandescent light bulb produce visible light?

Most of the visible light on Earth comes from the sun. The sun and other stars produce light because they are so hot. ... Incandescent light bulbs also produce light in this way. When electric current passes through a wire filament inside an incandescent bulb, the wire gets so hot that it glows.

What makes incandescent light bulb glow white?

An incandescent light bulb or light source is any device that uses electricity to heat a filament—or wire—until it is hot enough to glow white. If that were done in the open air, in the presence of oxygen, the metal filament would burn up before it got that hot.